Zwilich's Third

Synopsis

Like Rodney Dangerfield, the viola is often an instrument that “gets no respect“ – so no viola jokes, today, folks. Quite the opposite, in fact.

For its 150th Anniversary celebration, the New York Philharmonic commissioned a number of new orchestral works. One of them premiered at New York’s Avery Fisher Hall on today’s date in 1993:  the Third Symphony of the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich.

It’s no exaggeration to suggest that Zwilich knows the symphony orchestra from inside out: for seven years she was a violinist in the American Symphony Orchestra, a New York-based ensemble conducted by Leopold Stokowski when Zwilich was a player.

For her Third Symphony, Zwilich confessed she had an often-neglected section of the orchestra in mind:

“I had noticed over the years the rising quality of viola playing,” she said in an interview, “and I thought that the Philharmonic’s section was absolutely amazing. So when I had this commission .... I really wanted to put the spotlight on the viola section and give THEM a great deal to do, not only in terms of virtuosity, but of importance and centrality to the piece. This symphony really grew out of my love for this section of the orchestra.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (b. 1939) — Symphony No. 3 (Louisville Orchestra; James Sedares, cond.) Koch 7278

On This Day

Births

• 1727 - French composer and organist Armand-Louis Couperin, in Paris;

• 1943 - George Harrison (of the Beatles), in Liverpool, England;

Deaths

• 1643 - Italian composer Marco da Gagliano, age 60, in Florence;

• 1682 - Italian composer Alessandro Stradella, age 37, is murdered in Genoa, apparently in retaliation for running off with a Venetian nobleman's mistress;

• 1906 - Russian composer Anton Arensky, age 44, in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Terijoki, Finland (Julian date: Feb. 12);

Premieres

• 1705 - Handel: opera "Nero," in Hamburg; This was Handel's second opera;

• 1850 - R. Schumann: "Concertstück (Concert Piece)" for Four Horns and Orchestra, by the horn quartet of Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Julius Rietz conducting that orchestra;

• 1877 - Tchaikovsky: symphonic-fantasy “Fancesca da Rimini,” in Moscow (Gregorian date: Mar. 9);

• 1881 - Tchaikovsky: opera “The Maid or Orleans,” at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg (Julian date: Feb. 13);

• 1888 - Benjamin Godard: opera "Jocelyn," in Brussels;

• 1905 - Koussevitzky: Double-Bass Concerto, in Moscow, with the composer as soloist (Julian date: Feb. 12);

• 1911 - Victor Herbert: opera "Natoma.", in Philadelphia;

• 1932 - Carl Ruggles: "Sun-Treader" for orchestra, by the Paris Symphony, Nicholas Slonimsky conducting;

• 1973 - Broadway premiere of Sondheim: musical "A Little Night Music"

• 1993 - Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Symphony No. 3, by the New York Philharmonic, Jahja Ling conducting;

• 2001 - Robert Capanna: String Quartet No. 2, in Philadelphia, by the Mendelssohn String Quartet.